Celebrating my latest “25th” birthday back in my beloved New York City!
As I awake on this God-given day to celebrate another #birthday (my 25th again, of course), I can’t help but sing:
Morning by morning new mercies I see,
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Since childhood, the aforementioned hymn has been a favorite of mine. But it wasn’t until my recent near-death situation that I fully experienced and comprehended its message.
To be here today, standing strong, I can indeed testify to God’s faithfulness.
Sometimes it’s the most awful thing that happens to us, the thing we think we can’t survive that empowers us to grow into our best self.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I emerge renewed, rebirthed, stronger and, day by day, better than I used to be.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10, 000 beside
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness
Join me in celebrating this most auspicious occasion!
This photo was taken on my first day at work at NPR, Jan. 19. 2016. Truly thankful to be celebrating my seventh anniversary at this amazing organization doing what I love with some of world’s most talented journalists.
It’s my work anniversary!
Look at your girl on this day seven years ago on my very first day at NPR!
Time sure flies!
On the one hand, it feels like yesterday I arrived at our North Capitol Street, Washington, D.C., headquarters. On the other hand, with all that’s happened in the world since then, it feels like a lifetime!
Either way, I’m thankful to be still here—now based at our NPR West bureau in sunny California—doing what I love, and working with some of the most gifted journalists on the planet!
Many others wouldn’t care; they may feign concern, but they’re merely curious.
This was evident when certain people for whom I would have shown up — no excuses — abandoned me at the time I most needed them.
That hurt to the core — and further exacerbated my pain.
But God is faithful, and by His grace, I’m still standing.
John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Over the past few months, God placed in my path some unexpected “angels” who showed up in the most unimaginable ways to help lift me up and carry me along.
They include people who were dealing with challenges of their own — cancer, divorce, (also like me) the loss of a loved one and trauma, unemployment, and dire financial issues.
Yet they were unwavering in their support for me. They made the sacrifice to put aside their own personal matters and show up for me 100 percent.
I also want to extend special thanks for the support I got on the job, particularly from my National Desk team managers Ammad Omar and Denice Rios; Stuart Harding in legal; Pat O’Donnell from our SAG-AFTRA union; and Karen G Bates from our Peer-to-Peer Support Group.
Thanks as well to those who reached out during this tempestuous season with genuine empathy, to say I was in their thoughts and prayers.
Indeed, it takes a village.
I’m still “going through,” but day by day, I’m growing stronger in every sphere of my life, and I trust God to bring me through this valley and to the mountaintop.
Above all, on this day we focus on “thanksgiving,” I give all thanks and glory to Jesus Christ, my savio(u)r for this precious, precious gift called life.
Gratitude is a must.
Happy Thanksgiving Day, bless up and one love to y’all.
In one of my first blog posts Stop Asking Me Foolish Ish Bout My Dreadlocks, I wrote about some of the annoying questions people often ask me about my hair. On the flip side, almost as frequently as I get these questions, I’m also complimented on my lovely crown. I give much credit to my stylist Joyce for helping me nurture my long, beautiful tresses over the past decade. As far as I’m concerned, Joyce is the best dreadlocks stylist a.k.a. loctician in Brooklyn and perhaps even New York City. I’m particularly biased as she hails from my homeland Barbados, although she has made NYC her home for more than 20 years now.
I was introduced to Joyce by my friend Billy in late 2002 while I was on an extended visit to NYC. I had recently cut all my relaxed hair off and was proudly and happily sporting my own natural curls. The ultimate goal was to start dreadlocks, a dream I’d had for many years. Billy had dreads and his stylist was Joyce. He recommended her as the one to get me started. From day one, I was pleased with Joyce’s work. Her inimitable talent, combined with her professionalism, integrity, candor, and overall amiable nature, ensured that in me, she’d have a lifelong client.
Today, I pay homage to the genius of my stylist Joyce by featuring a gallery of her artistry with my hair over the past eight years or so. Disclaimer: Most of the photos were taken with a camera phone and not originally intended for publishing. There are a few photos where I did my hair myself, but I still give credit to Joyce because I learned my techniques from her, and obviously for helping me to have a healthy head of hair with which to get creative.
I love my beautiful dreadlocks and I thank Joyce for all the love she pours into them.
Leave your questions (but not foolish ones lol) and comments below.
~ I Keep it Irie ~
September 2008: For my sis Rosie’s wedding in Barbados. My stylist Joyce put my hair in this up do and coiled the ends so when I open it up for the wedding, it’d be “spiraled”.
Wedding Day: Ready to give that Maid of Honor speech! This is after I took the coils out.
December 2008: A winning hairstyle for a presentation I did for CCNY on a financial literacy pitch to Capital One Bank. My team won.
Fall 2009: My hairdo for the Congressional Black Caucus Convention in Washington, D.C.
Labor Day 2010: This do was a couple week by then.
Sometime 2010: A spiral do from uncoiling my hair.
2010: A Mohawk with the ends coiled.
A few different views of my Mohawk.
2011: Another Mohawk.
2011: On the train sporting my Mohawk.
I went back to my stylist with the Mohawk and she changed up the front of my hair.
Winter 2011: An upsweep.
May 2012: A cool coiled do for the African Heritage Bazaar in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
A view from the back of the cool coiled do.
Spring 2013: My stylist used pipe cleaners to create a tighter curl.
Another view of the style with the pipe cleaners.
A view of the back of the pipe cleaners’ technique.
A view from the front with the pipe cleaners taken out.
A profile view of my dreadlocks after I took the pipe cleaners out.
A view from the back with the pipe cleaners taken out.
At the African Heritage Bazaar 2013: Posing off with my curly dreadlocks after I took the pipe cleaners out.
Summer 2013 – various views of a lovely do.
Labor Day Weekend 2013: Letting my dreadlocks flow to the right.
October 2013, Barbados: I put my hair up in a “ponytail” to try to save some of it from getting soaked in the sea.
October 2013: Soaking up the beach life and letting my dreadlocks drench in the seawater in beautiful Barbados.
November 2013: Letting my dreadlocks flow down my back in gorgeous St. Vincent and the Grenadine. Here looking down at Rabacca Dry River in Georgetown.
December 2013: In the absence of my stylist over the Christmas holidays, I washed, twisted and styled my hair myself – a rare event.:-)
April 2014: My stylist hooked me up with this gorgeous do for the office.
May 2014: I took the coils out from the previous hairdo and the guys at my local bodega loved it and snapped this photo as I was leaving the store.
Dec. 2015: My Christmas do as I head home to beautiful Barbados for the holidays.
Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding.
Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding. View from the back.
Aug. 2016: An upsweep for one of my bestfriend’s wedding. Side profile view.
Labor Day 2016: My wicked do for the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, NYC.
My mom and me at the airport in Barbados before my return to the U.S.A.
The one thing I am most proud of is my Bajan Brown Sugar. If yours is as sweet as mine, you would boast about it too. Even as a little girl, I knew I was blessed with something special and over the years, many men and even women have lauded me on this priceless asset. Their actions alone indicate how they feel, but they further reassure me with words like “what you have is a true treasure.” It’s amazing the things they all do for me – just because of my “Bajan Brown Sugar.”
I have heard many people; especially men call theirs all kinds of names. After all, that’s their prized possession.
Morning by morning new mercies I see,
Island Soul City Dreams 